Mental Health, Problem Solving and Nunavut’s Criminal Courts Priscilla Ferrazzi LLB, LLM, PhD Assistant Professor, University of Alberta, Canada

Outline Results: Criminal courts and mental illness Identification Rehabilitation Collaboration New study: Rehabilitation and Inuit views New study: Disability and access to justice

Results: Criminal courts and mental illness Communities Iqaluit (pop. 6,699) Arviat (pop. 2,318) Qikiqtarjuaq (pop. 520)

Results: Criminal courts and mental illness 71.25 = Hours of interviews 55 = Number of interviews* plus 3 Focus Groups 18 = Justice sector participants, including judges, lawyers and police 14 = Health sector participants, including psychiatrists, nurses, social workers and wellness workers 13 = Members of community organizations, including hamlet officials 14 = Community members, including Inuit Elders * Two of the interviews involved two participants at once

Results: Criminal courts and mental illness 1. Identifying people with mental illness “We don’t really understand what mental health is, but yet we see symptoms of something all around us.”

Results: Criminal courts and mental illness 2. Approaches to treatment and rehabilitation “If you are going to have an Inuit person who is mentally ill, you are going to have to be able to blend tradition—our traditional healing—and a Westernized healing and hopefully get through to the person that you need both.”